The Tomboy Who Lived
by Azura Rey
Summary: Interesting how the smallest of changes can have the largest repercussions. "James darling, tell me that name isn't on the birth certificate!"
1. Prologue wherein James is an idiot

The Tomboy Who Lived

Wherein James is an Idiot

_Left-two-three-four, right-two-three-four, left-two_ – Remus' eye twitched involuntarily. "James, the mediwitch said that everything is fine," the werewolf scolded. "Will you _please_ quit pacing?"

James paused. "Easy for you to say, Moony. It should be good enough that I'm not like Sirius there." The young Black scion was indeed worse off, Remus noted. He hadn't uttered a sound in over twenty minutes and appeared to be in shock. "Besides," James protested, "Lilyflower's giving birth! Have a heart, will you?"

"Lily's fine, James. And even if she wasn't, you wouldn't help her by pacing." James sighed wistfully. Grimacing, the more ragged brunette looked around the room. It really was too white, he thought.

In the far corner, Sirius paled and shuddered. The clock's ticking was obnoxiously loud, but a silencing ward prevented the Marauders from hearing the birthing room. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus observed Peter leading James to a chair.

Sirius whimpered pitifully and Remus fixed his gaze carefully on his shoes. The clock echoed in their ears.

"Mr. Potter?" James was out of his seat before his friends could blink.

"Is she- they- err… alright?" The nurse frowned.

"Your wife and child are both fine, Mister Potter." She pulled out a pristinely white quill, "I assume you've agreed upon a… Suitable name?"

James sagged relieved against a wall and responded. "Harry. Harry Potter." The nurse's visage transformed into a magnificent scowl, but she penned in the name.

"Mudbloods," she muttered loathingly, exiting the ward.

They entered the birthing room. Lily held the newborn close, her hair falling over her shoulders. Remus could see the captivated look on his friend's face. He locked eyes with his wife. "James," she sighed, "I can't begin to say how much I could trap you in here with me like the muggles do." He smiled nervously.

"So, this is Harry?" Peter asked leaning forward.

"Harry?" She gave her husband a horrified look. "_Darling_, tell me that's not on the birth certificate!"

James set his shoulders defensively. "What? Harry is a perfectly good name. A Potter name. You said you liked it, earlier."

Lily smiled forebodingly. "Remus, Peter, could you take Sirius and leave us a minute? I need to talk to my husband _in private_."

Peter skittered out the room and Remus politely excused himself, dragging the still vegetative Sirius behind him. The sound of the baby crying as the door closed woke him from his stupor. "Wait Remus! I didn't see my new godson!"


	2. Chapter 2 W Everything Goes PearShaped

2. Wherein everything goes pear-shaped

Lyra: Hi everyone, this is Lyra the cowriter. I want you all to know that the delay for chapter two is 100% MY FAULT. Because it really sucks being a high-school senior. But enough of that. I wonder how many of you have caught the title yet? I'm interested in knowing how many people were still fooled at the end of this chapter. What am I talking about you ask? Oh, y'know. Anyway. This chapter contains massive amounts of ho-yay. If you don't like that or don't know what it is, then squint and maybe you won't see it. Or maybe you will. But you're big boys and girls, so you can deal with that, right? ^^

azurarey: Sorry for forgetting to mention you in the first chapter, Lyra. Anyway, if you're wondering what ho-yay is, it's very mild, usually subtextual slash. Sorry to those of you who don't like it for it existing, and a conspiratorial wink to those who do.

"I still can't believe they made you the godfather," Sirius grumbled.

"Yes, well," Remus smiled. "It's hardly my fault that Lily wants little Ree to have a good influence." Sirius tossed his jack-o-lantern between his hands.

"I'm a good influence!"

"On opposites day, certainly." The dark-haired man huffed in annoyance. "Anyway – Do you smell that?"

Sirius shot his friend a look. "Well I'm not the werewolf, am I?"

Remus gave the air a whiff. "It smells like fire." He sped up. "Hurry up, I've got a bad feeling." Sirius nodded. When it came into view, the Godric's Hollow house was not a pretty sight. Remus gaped in horror at the fire shining through the hole blasted in the wall.

It was Sirius who acted first. He ran into the flames, shouting for James and Lily. Coming to his senses, Remus followed, casting several large Aguamenti spells in an attempt to quiet the blaze. When they found James on the living room floor, it was already too late.

"How could this have happened," Sirius questioned numbly.

Remus bit his lip. "Come on. We have to look for the others still." Wary of the flames, the pair picked their way up the stairs. Seeing Lily lying boneless on the floor, Remus was afraid to enter the room. Sirius, too, was paused. A knot as thick as the smoke in his nostrils formed in the pit of Remus' stomach. "Are they…?" A high-pitched wail interrupted him, and both men exhaled in frantic relief. Sirius dashed across the room to pick up the infant. Remus wasn't sure, but he thought he saw tears in his friend's eyes as he cradled the child to his chest.

"We were betrayed," Sirius stated grimly. Remus agreed quietly, but still couldn't bear to look where Lily lay on the floor. "I'm going to kill him." The angry words cut through the fog in Remus' mind.

"No," the werewolf protested, ushering Sirius out of the burning house. "I'm the one who should have been secret-keeper." Now standing in the yard, he laid a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You take care of Ree, and fetch Dumbledore." Cold rage began to bubble up within him, roughening his voice. "_I_ will hunt the rat."

~TWBL~

Sirius huddled in the November chill, holding Ree close under his jacket. Where was Dumbledore? Was Remus all right? These thoughts wouldn't stop running through his head. The soaked remains of Godric's Hollow had long since ceased smoking. Sirius' Aguamenti spells had stopped the fire, but the house was uninhabitable and a segment of the roof had collapsed. How long had it been since Remus left? Was that stinking rat escaping at this moment or had Remus found him? What if Wormtail had beaten him? But no, Sirius reasoned, nails digging into his balm, Peter had never been half the wizard the rest of them were. So what had happened that evening? And why had they left Harry alive?

These questions persisted until Dumbledore finally apparated in, Hagrid in tow with McGonagall following several seconds later. "Professor!" Sirius exclaimed in a panic. "D'you have any idea what's happened? James and lily," the young wizard struggled to swallow the lump in his throat, "They're dead."

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "I had hoped the Fidelius would have protected them from this." He beckoned McGonagall closer. "May I see the child?" Sirius obliged, and Dumbledore called up a Lumos to examine Harry's face. "Here," he said, indicating a red mark Sirius hadn't noticed in the dim light. "This scar, I believe, is from the dark lord. Certainly the house still bears his magical signature." Sirius gave him an incredulous look.

"Then why is – I mean, how can Ree still be alive?"

Dumbledore handed the baby off to Hagrid. "If Harry is alive, it can only mean that Remus' treachery backfired, and Voldemort is dead."

"Voldemort, dead?" Sirius asked, daring to smile despite his grief. "D'you really think s- wait. Remus? No!" He went to lift Harry from the half-giant's arms and was stopped by McGonagall. "Dumbledore, you have to believe me. We switched the secret-keepers last minute! It wasn't-" Dumbledore cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Your loyalty is admirable, Sirius. The facts, however, remain." He gave the Transfigurations professor a small object and a nod. "Go to Madame Pomfrey, Sirius. Everything will be alright soon."

"No! I'm not going anywhere," Sirius asserted. "It was Peter who was the secret-keeper, can't you see? He ratted them out to Voldemort, not Remus." He grabbed Hagrid by the arm, desperate. "Honestly, do you believe our Remus to be capable of that? Betraying the bond of godfather?"

Dumbledore looked at Sirius sadly. "There is nothing else to believe, my boy." Shaking his head, he said, "Your own trust in him is admirable, but sadly misplaced. Please understand that I have been in your position." He suddenly looked tired. "It is all too easy to mistake cleverness and charm for true caring."

"Dumbledore," Sirius breathed, voice cracking, "You must believe me. Don't make me lose Remus too, not after James and Lily."

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Indeed, Headmaster. Can you really ask us to believe that one of my most kind, caring students is in fact a sociopath and a dark wizard? I do think someone would have noticed."

"Yes, Dumbledore, like me! I would know!" Sirius interjected.

"And yet he must have fooled us all." Dumbledore avoided their gazes. "James and Lily had promised to inform me of such a change. That they told you otherwise…" He shrugged. "I can only guess that Mr. Lupin had them convinced that you were the traitor. That is what makes sense." Sirius' face tightened. "Come now, Sirius. It has been a long night for all of us."

"Alright. Fine, I'll go to the infirmary and let you look at Ree. But you'll see. Remus will catch him."

"That is exactly what I am afraid of," Dumbledore muttered, disapparating.

~TBWL~

The infirmary smelled of burnt skin and potions. Neither scent did much to calm Sirius' nerves. "Where's Ree?" He asked Madame Pomfrey, who averted her eyes. "Have you heard anything about Remus?" He tried.

"You shouldn't be talking," she chastised, searching through a cupboard.

"You're avoiding all my questions. Tell me what's happened. Are they all right?" Sirius knew the only way to get an answer out of Pomfrey was to stay carefully calm. If he betrayed his anxiousness, she would put him to sleep faster than you could say 'doctor's orders'. He asked again.

"I'm not allowed to tell you anything about either. Dumbledore said that you were to be kept here, so that you could recover. Please stay in your bed, or I may have to sedate you."

Sirius sighed in annoyance, but complied. He'd been on her bad side often enough in school to know better than to think her threat a bluff. Also he was quite sure the middle-aged witch could smell fear. "Remus told me to take care of Ree. I'm not sleeping until I know that they are both safe."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Sleep deprivation is a terrible thing." She left him alone to tend to the potion stock. Despite his intentions, Sirius found himself drifting off to sleep.

~TBWL~

The former Gryffindor woke to Dumbledore sitting at his bedside and shot upright. "Well? What's happened?"

The headmaster's face was solemn. "The aurors caught up with Mr. Lupin moments after he had blasted young Peter into nonexistence." His features sagged. "They arrived just barely in time to prevent him transforming in a street full of innocent muggles."

Dumbstruck, Sirius murmured, "How can that be? Only a monster like Greyback can transform this far before the full moon…"

"As I suggested last night, Mr. Lupin fooled us all," Dumbledore said grimly, "But in lighter news, it seems I was correct about Voldemort's… unfortunate demise."

Sirius leaned against his headboard. "I see." He looked at a point past Dumbledore's shoulder. "Where's Ree? We need to go and free Remus." He screwed his eyes shut. "I am sure this is some kind of misunderstanding."

"Then your judgment is impaired, for which I am sorry. I have sent the young Potter to live with poor Lily's sister. I cannot go into depth on the subject, but her relation to Lily will protect Harry from the forces of darkness."

"Petunia? Professor, you can't! She's horrible, and besides James and Lily wanted me to have guardianship should anything happen." He sucked in a breath. "Given the legal ramifications of Remus' furry little problem, that is."

"As I said, it is Petunia's blood that matters. She will not take a quarrel with her sister out on an innocent child. Certainly the Dursley house is safer than risking contact with the murderer who betrayed her parents."

Sirius eyes darkened. "Remus is no murderer, _Sir_." He made to stand up. "I know him better than anyone, Professor. I will swear on James and Lily's _souls_ that Remus not only didn't commit this crime, but most certainly would not, either."

"I'm sorry, Sirius." Dumbledore stood up and made way for Madame Pomfrey. Before she could sedate him, Sirius leapt out of bed with all the ironic grace of a cat and ran from the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey raised her wand to arrest his flight, but was stopped by Dumbledore. "Let him go, Poppy. He needs the fresh air, I'm sure."

~TBWL~

Sirius burst into the Ministry's security office. Slamming his hands on a desk, he growled, "Remus Lupin, where are you keeping him?" The young man at the counter continued shuffling around his stack of paperwork.

"Sir," he said dismissively, "No-one is permitted to see Mr. Lupin at this time. He is to be transferred to a secure cell in Azkaban tomorrow, as soon as his investigation report is filed."

"I don't care."

"And who are you to say that, sir?"

"Someone who's not leaving until he's been in to see that cell."

"Pity," the receptionist replied, pulling out his wand. "It is so very unpleasant throwing people out, but you leave me no choice, Mr.…?"

"Sirius Orion Black, heir apparent of my grandfather Lord Black. I don't even need to call in any favors to make your life hell." His eyes narrowed. "Are you quite certain you can't tell me where my dear friend is being kept so unjustly?"

The orderly paled and finally looked up at Sirius' face. Cowering at the expression he saw, the guard sputtered, "He's in holding cell #9. Mind you, I-if I find you trying to help him, y-you'll be in #10, mind. Never even mind f-family connections." He ushered Sirius through a large door and slammed it behind him.

Holding cell #9 was just beyond 7 and 8. Remus sat against its back wall. "Hey. Since when does the Ministry number things in order?" Sirius asked wryly. Remus jumped, and the young Black family scion could see that his friend looked a right mess.

"Sirius! Is that you?" He stood. "Do you know anything that's happened?"

"Dumbledore thinks you were the secret-keeper." Sirius gritted his teeth. "He wouldn't believe me."

Remus' smile was resigned. "It can't be helped. At least Pettigrew is dead."

"You didn't."

"No. I've no idea why, but the rat blasted himself to bits for the sake of framing me. All they found was his finger." His lips thinned. "Thanks be to Merlin that no-one was standing behind him."

"Then there's no problem! You can testify under Veritaserum and be free!" Sirius was nearly shouting, his fingers white where they gripped the bars. Silent, Remus stepped forward and laid his hands over the other man's.

"They won't allow a trial or even an official statement. I nearly transformed in broad daylight – I'm a monster."

Sirius eyes were wild. "That's not true, Moony! You're the best person I know. And you're a godfather. Little Ree needs you! This… arrest, it's just the ministry looking for a handy scapegoat to keep people's eyes of them."

"Sirius…" the werewolf's hands tightened, then released to cover his face. "Dumbledore visited earlier, when they thought I was asleep. He talked at me for a while. Harry's been sent to Petunia?"

"Yes, it's true. There's supposed to be some sort of blood protection," he elaborated.

"You need to take Harry."

Sirius looked up, shocked. "And go against Dumbledore? He's one of the most powerful and influential wizards of our time, don't you think he knows what he's doing? Besides… I don't want to lose the blood protection for Ree. Safety will be in high demand with all the chaos going on now, and Dumbledore seems to think the Dursleys can provide it."

"Trust me, Sirius," Remus looked up at him. "Petunia hated Lily, and her husband despises magic and everything that stands for it. Do you really think they would keep Ree safe?"

Sirius turned away. Remus pressed on. "Look up the oath to become blood siblings. Petunia will go along with it given the right motivation."

"… Blood siblings? Ew."

"She'll leave you alone, anyway, what difference does it make? You can posthumously declare yourself Prongs' brother-in-law." His gaze intensified. "Then adopt Harry the muggle way. The Tonkses can help."

"I'm not sure, Remus. I mean, you are right, it's just…"

"Dumbledore does not always know best." His eyes sharpened to golden points. "Leave me and make sure Harry is safe." He paused, looking away. "Please."

Sirius' world was tearing at the seams. "Yes," he breathed. "I promise. But I'm not going to leave you here. No matter how long it takes I'll get you out."

Remus smiled softly. "I suppose I can't stop you. You should go before the guard comes, now."

And Sirius obeyed, but not without regret.

~TBWL~

Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was a perfectly lovely place when one was fond of banality. Sirius was not. It reminded him of hospitals and detention with McGonagall. He imagined that Ree probably didn't like it much either. He sighed and knocked on the door of house number four.

Petunia opened the door, took one look at Sirius, and tried to close it again. Sirius slipped inside before she could manage it. "I take it that you recognize me. Honestly, I'm flattered." His tone was cold as ice.

"Lily's friends aren't welcome here," Petunia said, her eyes narrowing. It's bad enough we have to take care of her brat after she got herself killed. Leave."

"Don't talk about her that way," Sirius growled. "Just because you argued with her when you were younger, you think that you have any right to desecrate her memory?" He took a breath. "Listen, that's not even why I'm here. I've come to take Ree off your hands."

"So take the child, for all I care," Petunia spat, turning away. "I don't need any reminders of her in my life."

"Thank you, but there's something I'll need to ask you to do before I can. It's a sort of oath."

Petunia snapped her head around. "If it's some of your abnormality, I'll have none of it in this house. I'd finished with that when I moved out of our parents' house."

"Look, I'm not happy with this either, but it's necessary." Sirius tried hard to remain civil. "If you just do this little thing, Ree and I will be out of your hair and then you'll be free to peep over fences and gossip in peace. So will you do it or not?"

Petunia examined him suspiciously. "No bursts of fire in this oath of yours? No toad spawn or random women popping up at the most obnoxious hours of the night?"

"I can assure that any random women that do show up will have nothing to do with me, and I will not be upset if you take them to the cleaners."

Petunia sighed. "All right. What is this oath, then?"

"I took the liberty of writing it down for you," Sirius said, handing her a piece of parchment. "Your parts are in the green ink. Now," he took her hand in his own and began. "I take you as my sister, bound by blood. I shall come to your aid when you are troubled, give you shelter when you have none, and defend your honor with my own. I shall treat you as my own family, this I swear or let my blood be spilt."

"I take you as my brother, bound by blood," Petunia answered, her teeth gritted. "When you have no home I shall take you in, when you want for food I shall provide it, and no circumstance will make me leave you by the wayside when you need me. You are as kin, this I swear lest my blood be spilt."

The air gained a peculiar charge as Sirius spoke. "Then thus are we bound. Blood runs between us, thicker than water, wine, or ink. Let it not be spilt." The charge dissipated and Sirius grimaced, looking at a small new cut on his palm. Petunia vanished in the house and returned holding Ree at arm's length. Sirius took hold of the infant carefully. "Harry, you have no idea how glad I am to see you again." He tapped a baby nose with his finger. "You've been a huge trouble, you know."

Petunia opened the door. "Now go, and take that improperly named hellspawn with you."

Sirius looked into her eyes. "Thanks, Petunia, really. I'll send the adoption paperwork by post?"

"Fine. But remember, I owe you nothing. Now get out."

And Sirius obliged her without another word.

~TBWL~

Petunia felt like bursting into tears. Her life had been like that, lately. Lily had said she would come to Petunia's wedding, but had never shown. She had invited Petunia to her own but not once spoken to her there. Had promised to keep in contact when their children were born, then disappeared for over a year. And now her sister was dead.

She picked up her infant son from his place in the playpen. "Oh, Dudley. If you only knew how it feels, losing a baby sister. It's for the best Lily's child is gone – we would only have had to let her go in the end, anyway." The young mother carried her toddler to his high chair. "In any case, time for lunch. I's a good job that man didn't come when Daddy was home, hm?" Her face darkened imperceptibly. "He might have had a right fit."


	3. Chapter 3: Wherein Ree Speaks

A/N: You may notice, if you have been following the story thus far, that this has replaced Wherein Ree Performs Magic as the third chapter. You see, I looked up child development, and it seems that Ree's first words would actually have been around when she was… 9-12 months old. And James and Lily died when she was… around 15 months old. ^^' Let's just pretend she's really good at hiding things?

Chapter 3: Wherein Ree speaks

"…And you should have seen Snivellus! He looked like he was about to blow a fuse!" Sirius said, gesturing wildly and with a grin that split his face in two. Ree giggled, sitting up to watch him. Sirius would never get used to the sound of her laugh, would never stop wishing that her parents were still around to hear it.

Dora crossed her arms and pouted. "You said you'd talk about Remus, Uncle Sirius! You promised!"

"I am talking about Remus!" Sirius said, with a hint of mock offense.

"You know what I mean!" she said, stomping her foot. The young girl seemed to love his stories about Remus. Ree loved all of his stories, but as Dora pointed out, you couldn't really say that that meant much coming from a toddler.

Sirius threw his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. No prank stories then? No discoveries of ancient underground passageways? No waxing eloquent about the good old days?" He smiled as Dora gave him a glare that could throw knives. "Well, Remus used to be something of a mother to us. He was always trying to keep us on the straight and narrow, something which I'm not afraid to admit was impossible. He'd warn us that what we were doing was stupid, and then he'd tag along anyway. He was the only one who could keep us from going too far." Sirius looked down. "I probably should have listened to him more often. He only really fought when it mattered, and he was always right in the end."

Dora smiled, oblivious to Sirius. "See? My Remus is amazing!"

"We argued a lot back then, Remus and I," Sirius continued. "He would always be saying that I was too reckless, that I never thought about anything before I did it. I'd say he was a hopeless nerd who would never get laid. James would always say we were like…"

"Aunty an Unca?" Ree said, looking up at him.

Many questions ran through Sirius' mind, none of them with any good answer. _Since when can you speak? Since when can you speak in sentences? How come I didn't know about this? Did you just call me and Remus a married couple?_

"Ree! Remus is my honey!" Dora said, her hair and eyes turning flame red.

Still stunned, Sirus said, "Dora, Remus is thirteen years older than you."

"That doesn't matter!" she said, flipping her now long and purple hair in what Sirius assumed was a gesture of annoyance. "I'm gonna marry him when I grow up, just you wait!"

Sirius stood up and walked into the kitchen, where Andromeda was cooking soup for dinner. "Did you know Ree could talk?"

She stared at him in disbelief as the soup stirred itself behind her. "You mean you didn't? She may be quiet, but she's chatty enough!"

Ree wandered into the kitchen. "Aunty? I wrong?"

Andromeda patted her head. "Of course not, honey. Your Uncle Sirius is just an idiot sometimes."


	4. Chapter 4: Wherein Ree Performs Magic

A/N: Apologies! I actually received this a while back, but I felt like something was missing. I will try to update with the next chapter as soon as possible.

Wherein Ree performs magic

Sirius could admit that he was not the best of guardians, but it really wasn't his fault.

For instance, it wasn't _his_ fault that he wasn't around much. When Remus was sent to Azkaban without even the due process of a trial, Sirius was so disgusted with his government that really he had no choice but to leave the wizarding world entirely. It wasn't his fault this had the unfortunate side-effect of cutting him off from his bank accounts – the goblins should have had a muggle branch or debit cards or something, but no, that would be too convenient. In any case, having no money the only action to take was to get a full-time job to support Ree. If that meant he couldn't be around her as much as he would like, so be it. At least he'd contacted Ted and Andromeda about babysitting.

It also wasn't his fault that Ree had developed a bit of a mischievous streak. All he had done was to tell her and Dora some of his stories from the glory days. If she decided to follow the example, that was hardly because of him; it was in her blood. He hadn't told her that the Marauders were paragons of virtue… er, more than once. Besides, she was only two! How much damage could one toddler do?

The situation that led to her first magic was also most definitely not his fault. He might have put the dishes away incorrectly that morning, but Andromeda was the one with a ridiculous system of organization. He wasn't the one who set Ree and Nymphadora (and bless her poor little heart, what a name!) to playing tag in the house. If a dish fell when Ree knocked into the cabinet, it was only because the furniture was much too wobbly. So it wasn't his fault. He wished he had been there to see what happened next, though. Andy told him later that it was a sight to see, the dish shattering inches from his goddaughter's head and the pieces falling around her feet. It was a pretty stellar performance for a child of two.

And it wasn't his fault the dish was broken, so why was Andy making _him_ replace it?

'In any case,' Sirius mused as he strapped the girl into her car seat, 'I am responsible enough not to let her ride in the motorcycle.' He was also responsible enough to study for his GED. Muggles learned the oddest things in school. Sirius was almost sorry that he hadn't been made to memorize the quadratic formula in Hogwarts – certainly it would have made arithmancy easier. If arithmancy had been bad, he didn't want to think about calculus. But he had to do this. For himself, for Remus, and on a more thorough examination, the wizarding world could use a well-respected pureblood with degrees in law and political science. He grinned. Now that would be a prank. So that was what he was aiming for.

As he pulled into the driveway, Sirius swore. Dumbledore would never get the hang of dressing like a normal person, would he? He marched up to the door and was smiled at.

"You weren't easy to find."

"You were easy to avoid," Sirius growled. "Who knew that the best way to hide from wizards is to play muggle?" He thought back to the Dursley plan. "You, actually. Which makes me wonder how you ever took so long to find us." He fetched Ree from the car and made to push his way into the small two-story home.

"Aren't you going to invite me in, friend?" Sirius grimaced and attempted to refrain from cursing the old man as he showed him to the living room.

"I've only one friend left, Dumbledore," he retorted, "And that's the one you threw in prison." Ree squirmed and was placed on the couch. "As you can imagine, I'm still quite bitter." Sirius was still glaring as he sat next to his ward. Suddenly the headmaster looked very tired.

"The decision was made b the entire Wizengamot, not only myself. Do not blame me for it."

"That motion was illegal," Sirius said, his voice threatening, "And you didn't oppose it."

"What was I to believe?" Dumbledore asked. "Days from the full moon and he was captured halfway to transforming."

"He wouldn't have hurt anyone!"

"Remus had completely lost his senses, Sirius! He was clawing at the aurors that took him down."

Sirius stared at his former teacher for a long moment. "You'll see." He moved Ree to her high chair in the kitchen and looked in the pantry. "Just so you know, you are not welcome for dinner." He turned to the figure seated in the armchair. "So by all means stay, if you want to go hungry."

Dumbledore sighed. "Sirius, I-"

"You can't take Ree, right? You know it and I know it. She's safe here, she's happy here. So if you feel you have to come and preach at me every now and then, fine. Just don't expect me to agree with you."

"If Remus is a scapegoat, then-"

"Then what? Think about that, old man."

And by the time Ree was tucking into her Honey-O's, Dumbledore was gone.

"He'll be back, you know. Stubborn fool." The toddler gurgled in response. "I know, darling, I know."


End file.
